jargon

¹

[ jahr-guhn, -gon ]

noun

1. the language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group:

   medical jargon.

2. unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing; gibberish.

   Synonyms: twaddle, gabble, babble

3. any talk or writing that one does not understand.
4. pidgin.
5. language that is characterized by uncommon or pretentious vocabulary and convoluted syntax and is often vague in meaning.

verb (used without object)

1. to speak in or write jargon; jargonize.

jargon

²

[ jahr-gon ]

noun

1. a colorless to smoky gem variety of zircon.

jargon

¹

/ ˈdʒɑːɡən /

noun

1. specialized language concerned with a particular subject, culture, or profession
2. language characterized by pretentious syntax, vocabulary, or meaning
3. gibberish
4. another word for pidgin

verb

1. intr to use or speak in jargon

jargon

²

/ dʒɑːˈɡuːn; ˈdʒɑːɡɒn /

noun

1. rare.
   mineralogy a golden yellow, smoky, or colourless variety of zircon

jargon

1. A special language belonging exclusively to a group, often a profession. Engineers, lawyers, doctors, tax analysts, and the like all use jargon to exchange complex information efficiently. Jargon is often unintelligible to those outside the group that uses it. For example, here is a passage from a computer manual with the jargon italicized: “The RZ887-x current loop interface allows the computer to use a centronics blocked duplex protocol .” ( See slang .)

Other Words From

• jargon·y jargon·istic adjective
• jargon·ist jargon·eer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of jargon¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English jargoun, from Middle French; Old French jargon, gargun, derivative of an unrecorded expressive base garg- designating the throat and its functions, as in gargle, gargoyle

Origin of jargon²

First recorded in 1760–70; from French, from Italian giargone, of uncertain origin; perhaps ultimately from Persian zargūn “gold-colored” ( zircon ( def ) ), equivalent to zar “gold” ( arsenic ( def ), gold ( def ), yellow ( def ) ) + gūn “color”; alternatively, perhaps akin to Old French jacincte, also jacunces, jargonce jacinth ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of jargon¹

C14: from Old French, perhaps of imitative origin; see gargle

Origin of jargon²

C18: from French, from Italian giargone, ultimately from Persian zargūn of the golden colour; see zircon

Synonym Study

See language.

Example Sentences

Google’s goal is to help searchers understand jargon or technical terms they might not fully understand, by giving them this additional context without having to leave the page.

From Search Engine Land

There is complex or technical jargon not everyone understands.

From Fortune

The “Seventh Sanctum,” some kind of other god that’s part woman, part machine, talks about how you need to “upgrade your gear,” and doesn’t even bother with the pleasantries of high fantasy jargon.

From Washington Post

Climbing is a complicated sport, full of nuances and its own jargon.

From Outside Online

People also do this in an effort to portray their highly esteemed intellect—this is when heavy jargon and polysyllabic alternatives to concise declarative expressions appear.

From Popular-Science

This is known as close air support, or CAS, in military jargon.

From The Daily Beast

As fluent in drug trade jargon as Martian, Future peppers his lyrics with interstellar imagery befitting of his far out vocals.

From The Daily Beast

Baffled by the jargon-heavy consumer information manual, I chatted with Cheryl Luptowski from the NSF consumer affairs office.

From The Daily Beast

Above all, she felt, there was a more pressing need for it than ever before, with jargon steadily taking over the world.

From The Daily Beast

As his highly technical and jargon-laden presentation rambled on, Obama was beginning to lose patience.

From The Daily Beast

We owe it neither to the Syriac tongue nor to the Hebrew, a jargon of the Syriac, in which adultery is called niuph.

From Project Gutenberg

I'm quite out of the hunt here, however, for I can't pretend to understand the jargon of the thing.

From Project Gutenberg

Madame Probasco immediately transferred the glove to her forehead, and the jargon increased in rapidity.

From Project Gutenberg

Why introduce an unintelligible jargon, when we may be understood by pronouncing a simple name?

From Project Gutenberg

They are a people within a people, differing in dress as well as in language, which is a jargon of German-Hebrew.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• argot
• idiom
• lingo
• parlance
• patois
• slang
• vernacular
• vocabulary